Camelot
by Stephen Ratliff
Summary: In progress Marrissa Story - In the Aftermath of Worlds in Collusion, Marrissa adjusts to her new roles and titles.
1. Marrissa One

Camelot

Author's Note:

This is yet another incomplete work, but one that could be completed, I think. This Marrissa Story requires familiarity with _Worlds in Collusion_, so it is advisable to read it first. As I post this, I have not figured out exactly how I'm dividing what scenes I wrote of this, so I can not tell you how many parts are complete. I can tell you that I'm serializing it much like _A Little Earlier._

_..._

Her Royal Highness, Lieutenant Marrissa Amber Picard, Princess of Halifax, Heir to the Throne of Essex, Chief of Security of the Federation Flagship Enterprise, sighed as she sunk into the soft bed of her flat on Essex. The Enterprise hadn't been in transporter range when she had finished her interviews in Parliament, so she had, as she had informed her adopted father and commander of the Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, headed for her flat on the top floor of the Act Building on Settlement Street. She had taken a quick shower, then spent an hour relaxing in the hot tub on the roof. The Enterprise still hadn't been in range, so she decided that spending the night would be the best idea.

Marrissa, like a lot of little girls, had fantasized about being a princess when she was little. Her father had event taken to calling her his little princess. She'd eventually out grown those fantasies, replacing them with dreams of commanding a starship, a common enough dream for the child of two Star Fleet Officers. She'd managed to live that dream a few times, and now at almost fourteen had managed to find herself Chief of Security on the Enterprise.

It was a lot of work, and at times she wished she could have told herself to look for something else back when she'd declared that she was going to be Captain of the Enterprise to her parents. But she hadn't, and she had managed by luck mostly to find her way into Star Fleet, the youngest to hold her rank by a large margin. It wasn't just a dream anymore, and she was determined never to give anyone reason to take it away from her. It wasn't easy, but as the Captain had once quoted, "We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

Today a lot of her fantasies about being a Princess had suffered a healthy dose of reality as well. The Parliament of Essex was not yet up to full strength in the aftermath of what they were now calling simply the Impact, but it was quite intimidating. Marrissa had been called before the Joint Committee for Governmental Oversight

She had expected the questions to be focused on her actions in the matter of former Prime Minister Dessalines, and there were some questions on that matter which she handled fairly well, Marrissa believed. The vast majority of the questions, however, she was totally unprepared for. She had no idea what the criteria for selecting a Prime Minister was. Nor did she know how one could get into the House of Lords. In fact she didn't know much at all about Essex's government.

Marrissa had a stack of books, physical books, just to underline their importance, which she'd been told to read. She was heir to the throne, and apparently this kind of knowledge was required of such a person. Marrissa had thoughts of removing herself from succession, while she had dragged the books to her flat. Unfortunately she had to be at least twenty-one to do that, and there was that family motto to consider.

Officium Acredo, duty accepted wholeheartedly ... she had to consider it an apt motto for herself. Not many teenagers would have dived into the job as Chief of Security, much less her former duties as Chief CONN Officer. Jay Gordon had once remarked that once he saw that Marrissa had decided that she was going to do something, he had two choices. He could either help her, or get out of the way, because nothing stopped Marrissa once she knew something was possible for her. In general, he took the former, rather than the latter course, which was greatly appreciated by Marrissa.

Marrissa reached over and picked up the top book on her bedside table. She opened up "Essex Parliament: A Historical Primer" to the first book mark.

"House of Lords. It is commonly perceived by those outside of Essex that the House of Lords is an extension of the family line succession that is present in the monarch. This fails to take into account the fact that all members of the House of Lords are what are termed life peers, having their seats only because of their own merits. While it is true that the heir to the throne has an automatic seat for his or her lifetime, this should be properly seen as a method of training the next monarch. This will be discussed in a later chapter ..."

Marrissa paused her reading for a moment. Even if she didn't learn anything from this book, it would at least work as a sleep method.

...

Marrissa woke the next morning to her communicator chirping. Sleepy, she reached over to her bedside table, dislodging the book she'd fallen asleep reading as she did so. The sun was just starting to streaming into the bedroom through its mullioned windows. A glance at the anniversary style clock on the table allowed her to note that it was only 0530 local time, which she quickly translated to about 0600 ship time. She tapped the communicator as she fastened it to her night gown. "Lieutenant Picard, here."

"Enterprise, Commander Riker." The First Officer's voice was way to cheerful. "The Captain told me to let you know we're in orbit now, and he expects you on board soon."

Marrissa slid out of bed, into her comfortable green fluffy slippers. "I'll be on board as soon as I have my tea and breakfast, Commander. Let Lieutenant Nelson know that I expect to see how the physical fitness program is going. I've reserved the EDF obstacle course at Mount Valhalla next week for him."

"I'll let Nelson know," Riker replied as Marrissa walked out of her bedroom. "By the way, Lieutenant Sutter wanted to let you know that the security team following them last week was not appreciated."

Marrissa punched up an order of pastries, ham and eggs on the replicator in the Kitchen. "Which Lieutenant Sutter?" Some day, she promised herself, she would actually use something other than the replicator and the tea kettle in the Kitchen.

"Princess Clarrissa, of course," Riker replied. Marrissa could hear a protest in the background, as she put the kettle on. Tea, she'd been informed by her cousin, the Queen, should never be served cold, and the fresher the better. It was one thing that both the Queen and her father agreed on. Actually, it seemed that the Queen and her father were agreeing on a lot of things lately, mostly ones that were meant to 'protect' Marrissa.

"Inform the Princess that if she's not careful, I'll assign a detail for her on the ship. Marrissa out." Marrissa watched her kettle brew her tea, continuing her reflection. Calling Clara Princess was turning out to be quite amusing. The traditional Princess was everything Clara was not. Of course Marrissa, being more of a traditional tomboy was that, in a different way. Clara could often be found taking apart some gadget, grease smeared somewhere on her face. Dresses? Not Clara, they made it hard to move in the Jefferies tube, and you never knew when something would break.

The kettle started to whistle, and Marrissa pulled it off the burner. She poured her tea, and picked up her ham and eggs from the replicator. The pastries joined the rest of her food on the table, as she sat down in the high backed Windsor chair. As ate, she considered her best friend on the Enterprise a bit longer. If Marrissa had the heir to the throne job, she wasn't going to let Clara get out of her fair share of duties as long as the Enterprise was assigned to Essex. If the tomboy with the dirt smeared face had to do the job, then the grease monkey would have to do as well.

Her eyes caught a picture that had been left behind from the pervious week, when Clara had been staying with her recovering father at the flat. It was one of the infamous kid's crew, as they were called on the Enterprise-D. Taken on the Bridge, shortly after Marrissa had received her promotion to Lieutenant junior grade, it showed her seated in the command chair, in uniform, her friends around her. Clara had taken the counselor's seat, and wore her own newly minted Ensign's rank. The irrepressible Shayna Sachs, security, engineering, and practical joker, had slid between the two chairs, and had a smirk that was just asking for trouble. On Marrissa's other side, between the First Officer's Chair and the Captain's Chair was Alexander Rozhenko. The part Klingon was one that Marrissa missed. Unfortunately he was staying in Minsk. Then there was Jay Gordon in the First Officer's chair.

Jay Gordon ... the blond haired boy had somehow inserted himself into Marrissa's life in such a fashion that even six months after he and his family had left the Enterprise-D, they still chatted at least twice a week if not more. He had been her constant companion from the moment that they'd met on the then incomplete Enterprise-D until the day of that departure. She missed him.

There were two other boys in the picture, sitting cross-legged in front of the Captain's Chair. Patternson Supra ... at least Marrissa thought Patterson was a boy, there was some question on that, had been the CONN Officer. Then there was the tie breaker of the Kid's crew of the time, Tyler Smoak ... he hadn't had a long time on the Enterprise-D. Marrissa wondered where the little boy was now.

She shook her head as she finished her ham and eggs. Picking up a pastry, she headed back to her bedroom to put on her uniform and pick up the books. She'd been summoned aboard, and knew better than to delay too much. Being left behind once was enough.


	2. Victoria One

Victoria One

Her Majesty, Queen Victoria the First of Essex had some regrets to accepting her current position. She lived the family motto, so when the throne had devolved to her following the asteroid impact on the Capital, she had accepted the throne. She was nineteen, so having accepted the throne, she was stuck with it for almost two more years, unless she became pregnant, in which case she'd be stuck as a regent for up to eighteen more doing the same job if she abdicated.

At least Victoria had known exactly what the job entailed when she'd taken it. The same could not be said about her heir presumptive. Marrissa's flustered replies on the subject before parliament had been a bit amusing. That being said, they were excusable, and Victoria was sure that the books provided to her by Parliament would help prevent a repeat engagement.

Her heiress presumptive was a handful. Victoria was sure that Marrissa was a certifiable genius. Her single published stellar science article had certainly been widely praised. She didn't know much about her tactical ability, but there she trusted the evaluation of Jean-Luc Picard. While it was true that the Enterprise's commanding officer was Marrissa's adopted father, he didn't strike Victoria as a man who would inflate anyone's evaluation for any reason. As for the other half of Marrissa's duties, well, Victoria had issues with her almost fourteen-year-old heir being in personal combat. She knew that Security Chiefs normally didn't end up in sword fights, but Victoria had grown up watching the Adventures of the Boarder Patrol.

Victoria could see Marrissa playing the role of Lieutenant Yu of the Defiance, fighting off Klingons ... batleth to sabre. She'd seen the footage of Marrissa's defense of Daniel Sutter, after all. Chief of Security seemed to be an all too risky job for the heir to the throne, not that she'd tell Marrissa that, especially after learning how Marrissa had ended up with the job. There was one Admiral in Star Fleet that had earned the Queen's everlasting disapproval once she'd verified the information she'd received on the matter.

The Queen was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the door sliding open. She'd been alone in the study, finishing up the latest paper work, perhaps the most boring part of the job. Victoria looked up to discover her majordomo entering.

"I'm sorry to disturb your majesty, but some information has come to my attention." The short man stood only 4 foot tall with a goatee and wore a deep red suit jacket over a golden shirt. Victoria had promoted him from being the caretaker of the Royal Sea Retreat to being her personal aid. The outfit was his idea.

"Frankly, Josiah, I'd been needing an interruption."

"Your Majesty, I just got word that Miss Rita Heyworth is due to arrive today aboard the SS Archangel," Josiah said, placing a PADD on the desk. "I spoke to the Prime Minister, and we think she might be seeking a story on the Princess."

There were several Princesses on Essex, but without elaboration, the Princess was Marrissa. If Rita Heyworth was coming back to Essex it was not a good thing for Royalty. Rita Heyworth had been first an investigative journalist, then anchor for Essex Investigates, a hard hitting news program from the channel nine out of Port-au-Prince. Victoria had to admit that the reporter always had the facts on her side, but the anti-monarchist reporter had a nasty habit of twisting them into what she could only label as unwarranted sensationalism. A few years back, King George IV had actually thrown a party when he heard that Heyworth had been hired by San Francisco, Earth based Federal Galactic Network and was leaving Essex.

If Heyworth was coming back, a fully functioning Royal Press Office was about to become a priority. "Josiah, call Ed Grant. Tell him that I need to speak with him now. I realize he's busy with that station in Minniton, but appeal to his patriotism."


	3. Nelson One

Nelson One

Lieutenant Nelson fingered his rank pips as he sat in his chair in the security office. It was strange to have officer's pips. He'd served in Star Fleet as a noncom for three decades. Nelson was well aware that his commanders had wanted him to go mustang and take up a commission for half of that. His tour of duty at the Academy immediately prior to his posting on the Enterprise-E had certainly impressed that on him. It seemed that every single one of his prior Captains had visited him during that two year tour. The scuttlebutt among his fellow chiefs had passed word that old Admiral Grath, the Andorian who had been his C.O. as Chief of Security on the old Indy-ann, had actually thrown a chair out his window in frustration at him not taking the hints.

It was only after the sole officer in security had been injured in the line of duty that he had finally given in. It was ridiculous that the flagship only had one, not very qualified, officer in Security, and to be perfectly honest, it wasn't the fault of her or any one else on board. The accident that had killed all the other officers in Security could be traced to the removal of the mortality failsafe in that holodeck training exercise that had been run by the then Security Chief for all the Security Officers on board. Lieutenant Picard's involuntary transfer from the helm, where just about anyone would acknowledge she was well suited to, to Security, where she was not, by Admiral Decker had set up the situation that he was in today.

Admiral Decker was blocking all officer transfers, and Nelson was sure that after his commission as a full Lieutenant, the Admiral was going to try to stop the loop hole that Captain Picard had found in his defenses. Of course there couldn't be many senior chiefs in Security willing to go that route, especially ones that would serve under a teenage girl like Lieutenant Picard.

Nelson had been quite worried when he'd heard the situation with Lieutenant Picard. She was just short of fourteen. Being a daughter of security officers, she was well aware of the risks of the job. Her own parents had died in the line of duty, and recent events had shown that the girl was quite willing to follow in their footsteps. That was a worry.

In a pure evaluation of her abilities, Nelson had to admit that for her age, she was quite capable. To be perfectly honest, he would trust her at his back over the majority of the others in Security. He'd actually told her that, in an attempt to boost her confidence. She in turn had responded that if that was the case, the Enterprise's Security Department needed a lot more training.

Which explained the message on the PADD sitting before him. It looked like the Enterprise's Security Officers were about to get some really serious training. Lieutenant Picard had managed to reserve for the next three weeks the EDF Mount Valhalla Training Ground's main obstacle course, not the one that she'd originally reserved. From the look he'd had at it already, it rivaled Star Fleet's own at the Academy.

He looked forward to running certain less than fit crewmen through it. The Enterprise's Security Teams had been getting a lot of real world training of late, especially in the protective detail role, but there was no, in Nelson's mind, replacement for a quality obstacle course. Particularly ones that boasted lots of mud.


	4. Knott One

Knott One

Crewman First Class Brenden Knott was trying to figure out who he hated more, as he ran through the Mount Valhalla Obstacle Course. The leading candidate was bloody Master Chief Petty ... no he was Lieutenant Nelson now. Crewman Knott had a history with Nelson, not that it meant much, as the Enterprise was his first posting. Nelson had been his physical fitness test master at the Security School in Berkeley, where the he had been constantly compared, to Knott's detriment to the Cadets and Officers in Nelson's Academy Fitness Course. No one got through the Academy, much less the Security School with out a pass from one of the Master Chiefs who ran the physical fitness tests, unless they were in the science track, which Knott had heard was just a smidgen less stringent.

Knott had been prodded, cajoled, and propelled to levels he had not thought possible in that final course. He had thought that once he got to a starship, it would be in the past. He'd certainly seen plenty of less than fit Security Officers when he came on board the Enterprise. Then Master Chief Nelson had arrived. That alone wouldn't have effected Knott much, after all, the Master Chief's course had left him in much better shape than many of those in Security were, and the Master Chief wasn't that high in the command of Security. Then that fool, and no one in security that Knott knew called the first Chief of Security on the Enterprise-E anything less than a fool, had gotten the entire core of officers in Security killed in a holodeck accident.

The appointment of Lieutenant Marrissa Picard by Admiral Decker to head Security on the Enterprise had first been greeted as a good thing by the less than fit members of the Enterprise's Security Crewmen. Knott had an entirely different opinion. The Captain's daughter was going to get them all killed with her inexperience. Security was not the place for a young teen, much less a young teen officer to take up the reigns of Command. The only thing that reassured Knott at the time was the way that the three Master Chiefs had stepped up to fill the gaps in the Command.

Then they had arrived at Essex, and spent hours in disaster relief, where there couldn't be a weak link. Security had stepped up, but Knott had figured that it was a short term thing, and the way the response team had responded to Lieutenant Picard's call for assistance when that assassin had tried to kill the elder Lieutenant Sutter had led strength to that.

Then something had changed in Security. Knott hadn't quite figured out why. The Lieutenant Sutters had been put under guard, but the job had never been listed on the duty charts while they were in Sickbay. Crewmen seemed to just show up, in mess dress, to stand in honor before their injured crewmate and his daughter. Knott had done so himself, and been there when Lieutenant Picard had returned to the Enterprise after saving Queen Victoria, with her second injury in the line of duty in a week.

It could have slid back after that. It didn't. The Master Chiefs wouldn't let it. The Lieutenant, as the Master Chiefs referred to her, had apparently been most upset when she'd got the physical fitness reports from the Doctor. The Lieutenant apparently ran eight kilometers every morning, and wanted company. And then she'd arranged for it to occur in a city on Essex, one with a good amount of hills. She'd started with the list of the least fit and worked her way up. It was embarrassing to come back from Essex exhausted to stand your regular duty shift, especially when the Master Chiefs came by. Especially when the Lieutenant had just taken a quick shower, brushed her hair, and looked like she was ready to run another eight.

You didn't argue with the Master Chiefs. That was something they made sure to drum into you at Berkeley. The Master Chiefs had ways of enforcing that, and Master Chief Nelson was an expert at that. If Master Chief Nelson told you that it was a shame that you couldn't keep up with the Lieutenant, it was a shame, and by god you were going to make sure it didn't happen again. If the Lieutenant ran eight kilometers, then you as a Security Crewmen were going to run ten, and the Master Chief had a plan that was going to make sure you could. It was after all a shame that a blonde princess, and we all know that princesses can't even sleep if there is a pea under their mattress, can out run you.

Then there was the duties on the planet that had been placed on the duty charts. Apparently the law enforcement on the planet had been decimated by the disaster. Somehow Security on the Enterprise had been deputized to fill in under something called the Emergency Powers of the Monarchy Act. Some had gotten the easy job, guarding the Queen or Lady Hilda. Others had gotten the harder job, of watching and not being seen by the Lieutenant Sutters. Apparently they were also in the line of succession, and while the elder Lieutenant Sutter was still recovering from his injuries, Lieutenant Clara Sutter was not. Princess Clara Sutter never had a routine that she followed, or at least one that Security was aware of, and if she told the Master Chief that she'd seen you, well, the Master Chief had his way to make his displeasure known.

Some of the other duties were quite pleasant. Crewman Knott had managed to earn a job subbing for a local constable who had been injured on the job. He'd been able to do it in local uniform, instead of the yellow and black of Security, and the week he'd spent in the little town of Stanfeld by the Sea had him considering the place as a place to vacation and perhaps, some day a long way down the road, retire to.

But still, he hated now Lieutenant Nelson, especially because he'd chosen Knott to run through this accursed obstacle course with electric eels in the water.


	5. The Press One

The Press One

Rita Heyworth, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter for Federation Galactic News, finished cleaning her glasses and put them back on just in time to see the first glimpse of Essex, a blue, green, and white marble in the distance through the window SS Archangel 11's forward observation lounge. It had been four years since she'd seen her home world with her own eyes, and she was glad to find an excuse to come back.

Of course it was in the line of duty, she'd gotten her prize with her investigation of the Admiral Pressman and the Pegasus scandal. Scandals in the Admiralty where always good for the career, and it had given her several good sources in the building. So when Admiral Decker had bent her ear about something being amiss on the Enterprise, it didn't take long for her to book passage to where the ship was working up. The fact that it was her home world merely gave her a keen knowledge of which ships were the best to take.

A lot had changed on Essex since the last time she'd been home. King George IV, Grandfather Essex as he'd been known by many, was dead in a tragedy worse than the one that had led to his ascending the throne in the first place, almost two score before. The new Queen was not the former Prince of Halifax, but his daughter Victoria, a rather young monarch, but given the number that had died, that wasn't surprising. The Prime Minister was a Lancaster, the son of the one who had been PM when she left. And of course, the seat of government had been moved, temporarily to Navarre, since Londondairy was a crater at the moment.

Heyworth wasn't sure how many of her connections had survived the disaster. She'd lost a cousin herself in the Impact. There was some sort of unity government at the moment, as they were still doing all the by-elections due to the Impact. There was a law that prevented more than three by-elections to be held in the same week, so that was going to take a while to fill all the open seats, and longer still to get the House of Lords back up to it's forty seat minimum.

This new scandal that Decker had tipped her off to, promised to be interesting and didn't really involve those connections, though. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was known as the paragon of Star Fleet Captains. Oh their were rumors, and the loss of his first ship was certainly a black mark on his record, but to be appointed Captain of the Flagship, you had to be the best. Now that Picard had fallen to the sin of nepotism, it would blacken so many people.

Oh yes, this was going to be very good.

...

Ed Grant peaked through the curtains to the Press Briefing Room. Officially it was the Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo Room, after some sort of a General. It was the press room for the Houses of Basque, and that governing body had never dealt with quite the feeding frenzy that was now enveloping Essex. As the new Royal Press Secretary it was going to be his job to calm down them. He'd had the job before, but that had been in much better times.

Until the Romulans had dropped that asteroid on the behest of that bastard Dessalines, Essex had been a backwater world of the Federation. True, they'd won both the fighter construction contract and the siting for the new Star Fleet Fighter Academy, but those didn't attract much press. Now it seemed that every top reporter in the Federation had made their way to Essex to cover something in regards to the Impact, or something that spun off of it. He was not looking forward to a few of the questions.

He stepped back, took a deep breath, then he stepped forward into the hall, striding to the podium. Ed surveyed the room, noting where some of the key players were, and the fuming lady standing beside the front row far left seat that was occupied by Carson Watson of Galactic News. He raised an eyebrow at the stupidity of someone trying to take Helen's seat.

"Good Afternoon," Ed said. "I have several statements this morning, but before I get to them, I'd like to remind you of the assigned seats and the penalty for not following them. Mr. Watson, you're out of here. Helen, you get two questions first." Carson Watson was quickly removed from the Rodrigo Room. "Now that he's gone, I'd like to thank the Queen for offering me back this job. You'll be seeing me here for the foreseeable future. I'm still building up my staff, so you'll pardon me if briefings are not as frequent as you'd like. Applications to join the Royal Press Office are in the back. If you've got a few apprentices in your office ready for more responsibility, I'll take them."

"Her Royal Highness Lieutenant Marrissa, Princess of Halifax, has informed the Queen that local staffing of law enforcement is now up to sixty percent. The Queen and Prime Minister have narrowed down choices for the Princess's replacement, and expect to introduce for confirmation in Parliament a choice within the next week. The Princess is looking forward to having a bit of free time, I'm told."

"District Judge Villanova has scheduled opening statements in the trail of former Prime Minister Ely Dessalines for next Monday. The Picard Commission preliminary report that prosecutors used as basis of the indictment is now available for public review. In case you've forgotten, Dessalines has been indicted on charges of regicide, terrorism, first degree murder, mass murder, treason, conspiracy, bribery, and tax evasion."

"Her Majesty, the Queen, would also like to announce that with the consent of Star Fleet Command, Jean-Luc Picard, Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise, has been appointed interim Commanding Admiral of the Essex Defense Force. Star Fleet Command has also chosen to promote him to the rank of Rear Admiral. He will retain command of the Enterprise, which will also serve as his flagship. Star Fleet has also announced that the starships Roanoke, Ticonderoga, and Hermes will join the Enterprise, Magdeburg, and Swiftsure as Star Fleet's presence in system."

"Finally, Her Majesty has designated 1066 Normandy Lane in Bath as her Official Residence. While she will most likely continue to live at the Retreat for the foreseeable future, it is unsuited for many of her official duties, and the former residence of Queen Dowager Margaret Victoria is much better suited to those tasks. The Queen Dowager, who has of late been traveling the Federation, is expected to return and take up residence on the Dover Coast, where she has maintained a cottage for some years."

Ed paused to take a breath and survey the room. It had been years since any press briefing on Essex had this many reporters involved. "I'll now take questions, starting with your two, Helen."

"It is my understanding that Princess Marrissa has been stationing some of her Security Officers in posts that were already filled," the reporter from Essex's Two Bakers A Day News began, standing up. "Is there a reason for this?"

"Princess Marrissa has been having some of her staff review the existing police force on Essex for particular skills. Her staff has found many officers worthy of promotion but also unsure of. At the same time, she has some Enterprise Security staff that could use some experience in different policing environments. The Princess believes in personal interviews for promotions, given that she does not know the force. By giving each interviewee time to prepare and a substitute she's able to kill many birds with one stone. And your second question, Helen?"

"Is the Queen planning to submit the Princess's majority certification to the Parliament?"

"Her Majesty, has, after consultation with the Judiciary, prepared to submit pro-forma majority proclamations for both Her Royal Highness Lieutenant Marrissa Amber Picard, Princess of Halifax, and Her Royal Highness Princess Lieutenant Clarrissa Ann Sutter. Her Majesty intends to have these pro-forma proclamations to Parliament by the end of the week. It is Her Majesty's understanding from the Prime Minister that despite Princess Marrissa's, and I quote 'flustered answers at the end of her last testimony' end quote, no serious opposition is expected. Josh?"

The next reporter in line, Joshua Truman from the Bath Times, stood up and ran his hand through his short curly hair before he said, "With the addition of a Nebula Class Starship, an Excelsior Class Starship, and an Apollo Class Starship, Essex will have the strongest concentration of starships that it has had in almost fifty years. In fact, it has been five years since a starship has been officially stationed in Essex. Does this represent a major shift in Star Fleet deployment practices, and is it a temporary matter, or can we expect a return to not having any starships stationed here?"

"Josh, while you'll have to speak to Star Fleet for more specifics, I understand that some of the increase is as a result of the state of local defense forces. However, the recent contact won to produce Star Fleet's new fighters, which I believe have been named the Essex 10, along with the new Star Fleet Fighter Academy that will be opening in Leicester on the Shrophshire Coastal Plain, has led to a readjustment of force levels in the region. Recent events have amplified that by a considerable amount. It is my understanding that we can also expect that the new fighter carriers will work up in system as well. Urich?"

The powerful former footballer turned reporter stood up, so fast that he bounced on his feet before he looked up at Ed. "Ed, the Picard Commission was appointed by the Queen, and there was very little public discussion on it's members. I have to ask, however, why Captain Jean-Luc Picard was chosen to lead it, given his lack of experience in police investigation."

"Urich, there were thirty-three members of that committee, covering everything from the political, to criminal, we even had investigation into the religious side of the conspiracy. We picked the best people we could find for every area we could. Unfortunately that led to us also picking some people who needed a strong hand or they'd interfere with others on the committee. To do that, we needed a strong commander of people. Given the thirty-two years which Jean-Luc Picard has commanded starships, I trust you're willing to grant that he has that quality?" There was a chuckle of amusement that went around the room. "Captain Picard also has an unique insight into many of the adversaries of the Federation, including the Romulans, that was invaluable. He's also been involved in several major Iconian finds, one area which we had absolutely no other experts in."

Ed Grant looked at the next seat over. This was the one seat that he was not looking forward to calling on. Rita Heyworth was the reason he had been offered the job as Royal Press Secretary, and it wasn't because of her recommendation. "Rita, welcome back to Essex, I assume you're with Federation Galactic now?"

"Thank you, Ed, it's good to be back for a while," Rita said with a smile, a smile that indicated that she smelled blood in the water. "I understand that the new Princess of Halifax is Chief of Security on the Enterprise. Given that she has not yet turned fourteen, does the crown find it irresponsible that Jean-Luc Picard has engaged in nepotism in placing his adopted daughter in such a risky post, as the third Picard on the Enterprise's Command Team?"

"Rita, oh how I've missed your turn of phrase," Ed replied. "While the crown is concerned about the risks involved in the Princess of Halifax's current post, the Queen understands that Princess Marrissa considers it her duty to serve in the post that she was assigned by Rear Admiral Decker, over then Captain Picard's protests. I have spoken to the Princess on the question, and she would quite frankly prefer to be back at the helm of the Enterprise. It seems that it preforms quite a bit better than the old Galaxy Class. I'm afraid that the Princess follows in line with her great-uncle the late Prince John in her passion for piloting."

"Follow up," Rita interjected, "from your reply, it seems that Marrissa is serving as Chief of Security under protest. That can not be good for the Princess. Still, one must ask how such a young girl got into Star Fleet in the first place."

"It seems that the Princess," Ed stressed the term, "is a lightning rod for events beyond her control and admirals with agendas. Her first command, and her posting as acting Ensign occurred around her twelfth birthday. I understand that it was part of the Admiral McGuire scandal, which as you may be aware, resulted in the reinstatement of over twenty Captains which the Admiral had forced out. She acquitted herself well in command of the Enterprise's saucer section, and was allowed to keep her acting rank as a relief helmsman with the understanding that she would not have regular duties and would attend the Academy some day."

Ed paused for a moment, making sure he had the outlined events in line before continuing. "She was also involved in the Maine incident, which resulted in her promotion to Lieutenant junior grade, along with another Ensign. Admiral Quinn will have more specifics of that mission. He's asked that I wait until he arrives so he can tell the full tale next week. During the time between Enterprises, the Princess took several courses at the Academy, including the Command Officer's Security Course, which I understand that after some initial issues, she passed with flying colors. Captain Picard, however, was not willing to leave her behind at the Academy when the Enterprise-E was commissioned, and brought her aboard the Enterprise where she took up the post as commanding the pilots on board. That post is mainly one of scheduling pilots and of course taking her seat at the helm during the Enterprise's primary shift, a task which the Enterprise's First Officer felt she was well suited to." Ed noted that many of the reporters were text messaging, and pulling up documents, so he called a light weight, "Gracula."

A blonde woman stood up. "From your statement, it appears that Queen Dowager Margaret Victoria is returning to Essex. Is that true, and if so, does the Queen Dowager intend to take up some of the Social duties which the Queen has not been able to do, given her role in this Third Amendment crisis?"

"Her Majesty welcomes the return of the Queen Dowager, and will of course avail herself of what ever assistance in social matters the Queen Dowager can provide. However, the Queen Dowager is advancing in years, so no one should expect her to have the schedule she was accustomed to before she left Essex. That being said, the Queen Dowager has agreed to host the annual Society Coming of Age Ball at the King Charles Hotel in Bath this year. The Queen, regrettably, has not made the age of twenty, and will not until a couple nights before the traditional demarcation date, so it would be inappropriate for her to host what should have been the year she was a debutante." Ed noticed that Rita seemed to be the only reporter who was prepared for a question. "Rita."

"I noticed that you left off explaining the chain of events that resulted in Marrissa's appointment as Chief of Security. Perhaps you could enlighten us."

Ed kept a grimace off his face, barely. He wished he'd gotten someone from the Enterprise to attend this briefing. "I'm not fully briefed on that incident, at this time. I know she's Chief of Security on Admiral Decker's orders, over then Captain Picard's objections, but I will have to get back to you with more detail. Helen."

The matriarch of the Royal Press Room stood. "Ed, you stated that both Princess Marrissa and Princess Clarrissa would be submitted as pro-forma applications. Generally pro-forma applications indicate that they are considered legally adults, already. Given that Princess Marrissa is only turning fourteen in two days, and Princess Clarrissa is fifteen months younger, I find it hard to place them as legal adults."

"And your question is, Helen? Quite unlike you to leave that out." Ed smiled as a chuckle ran around the room. "In any case, both Princess Marrissa and Princess Clarrissa, who prefer if you would refer to her as Clara to avoid confusion with the Duchess, as Star Fleet Officers, having obtained the rank of full Lieutenant and Lieutenant junior grade, respectively. In this capacity they have many of the rights of adults, and Her Majesty has judged them to be significant enough to merit pro-forma applications. Rita."

"As Princess Clara is twelve, may I ask how she got in Star Fleet?"

Ed smiled. This was one that had actually been released previously, as unlike Princess Marrissa, Princess Clara had been known to be part of the Essex Royal Family before. Not as high up as she was now in the line of succession, but given the number of royals who had died, that was true of the entire royal family. "I see that you haven't been following the news on Essex since you left, Rita. Her Royal Highness obtained the rank of Acting Ensign on board the Enterprise NCC-1701-D prior to its destruction. She did so on the basis of her engineering talents in a program started on that ship to cultivate shipboard talent in hopes of snaring it into Star Fleet on a long term basis. Princess Clara solidified her rank with a field promotion to Ensign following the publication of an article in several major journals regarding the power curve to obtain certain warp factors ... and before you ask, I am not going to be able to explain that article. Following the crash of the Enterprise-D, she was promoted to Lieutenant junior grade for her actions during that situation. Due to a quark in the list known as alphabetization, she technically now out ranks her father, Prince Daniel. Urich."

"Given that now Rear Admiral Jean-Luc Picard has been given command of all forces, local planetary and Star Fleet, I have to wonder about his prior experience as a fleet commander. His work as captain of first the Stargazer, then two Enterprises is of course stellar, but that does not always transmute to experience in command of more than one vessel. Captains of the Enterprise, after all, are know to be quarterdeck breeds."

"Research, Urich, research," Ed began. It wasn't like there wasn't plenty of documentation out there in the public domain about the Enterprise and Picard. "I shall point out the chief Federation action of Jean-Luc Picard during the Klingon Civil War of 2368, where Captain Picard lead 26 ships to a blockade of the Klingon-Romulan Border. I'm certain that further research will bring up further examples for you, Urich." Ed looked around the room to decide who to call on next. A light question, he decided. "Gracula."

"In light of Princess Marrissa's rank and position, indeed her areas of responsibilities, what is the proper way to refer to her?"

"Officially her full titles are Her Royal Highness Lieutenant Marrissa Amber Picard, fourteenth Princess of Halifax, heir to the throne of Essex, Chief of Security of the star ship Enterprise," Ed said. "When referring to her in her Star Fleet role, both Lieutenant Picard and Lieutenant Marrissa Picard are considered acceptable as initial addresses. The latter may more advisable in situations where either Rear Admiral Jean-Luc Picard or Doctor Beverly Picard are present, though the Lieutenant is distinguishable from their ranks. After initial address, if you are lesser ranked, Lieutenant is proper. Greater ranks should not, however refer to her as Miss Picard, but keep with Lieutenant, as Miss an inappropriate reference to royalty. Those equal in rank may refer to her as simply Picard. Use of simply her first name should be restricted to friends and family. As the senior royal after the Queen, she should properly be referred to as the Princess of Halifax, and the Princess there after. When it becomes necessary to distinguish between princesses, Princess Marrissa is acceptable. I have been informed by the Princess that referring to her as Risa, is grounds for personal torpedic evacuation without a space suit. Don't do it. I'm not certain if she was serious."

The assembled press took that as a cue to laugh. Ed, however, took it as a good time to end the press conference. "Thank you all for coming. Your next briefing will likely be tomorrow. I'll see about getting someone from the Enterprise to answer some of your questions then."


	6. Marrissa Two

Marrissa Two

"Personal torpedic evacuation without a space suit ..." Jean-Luc Picard said, as he entered Marrissa's room. Marrissa groaned. She hadn't meant for Ed Grant to repeat that. She certainly didn't want for her father and commanding officers to hear it. "I shall have to make a standing order to prevent that."

"Da-ad," Marrissa replied, as she looked up from her seat at her desk. If there was one thing she disliked about her current responsibilities, it was the paperwork. She'd thought she'd a lot as just Chief of Security, but the job of Chief Law Enforcement Officer for Essex had somehow ended up on her plate too. Fortunately she had a good yeoman to handle most of the Chief of Security paperwork, and had taken her father's advice and made sure the first hire she made when building back up Essex's structure was an administrative assistant. Mumbling she continued, "he wasn't supposed to repeat that."

"I imagine that it was simply too good of a phrase," Jean-Luc replied. "I see that the paperwork has piled up again."

"I was caught up before I went to bed last night," Marrissa said. "Then someone knifed the Constable in Catchpool, the inexperience guy in Leicester can't figure out what doesn't need to be sent up the chain, and I've got an interview to conduct this evening for the head of the Crime Lab ... which really doesn't exist right now, but Parliament insists that the job be filled quickly. I've also got to find someone to find some more space for everyone."

"The Defense Ministry Annex in Florestown will be available soon," Jean-Luc remarked. "It was housing the administrative functions for the Essex Defense Force, and I'm having that moved to Camelot Base, along with transferring a lot of it to the active duty forces and distributed force locations around the planet."

Marrissa was familiar with the building. It was in just the right position to block the view from her flat of the gates of the Houses of Basque. However, the view she had of the harbor from the top of the Act Building more than made up for it. It might also solve her problem with where to base the security for the Queen, and of course that of any royal who borrowed her flat. "I'll put in for it. So you're going to use what the Romulans built to hide in the system?"

Jean-Luc took a seat on his adopted daughter's bed, signaling that he was intending to stay and talk a while. Marrissa slid her paperwork away, and turned to look at her father, as he replied, "It seems to be ideal for our needs. There is room enough in the main chamber to fit several starships, and the habitable area, though incomplete and sparse, could house ten thousand after remodeling, before expansion is needed."

"Somewhere on Romulus there is a Senator bemoaning the earmark that gave Essex such a big base," Marrissa replied. The last chapter she'd read in the Princess of Halifax Primer had dealt with that little parliamentary rider, and how it worked on Essex, or rather no longer worked. A side note had indicated that in the Romulan Senate earmarks were the way things got done. "They certainly put a lot of work into their hidden base."

"Actually, Marrissa, a good portion of the habitual area could more properly be called Iconian ruins." From the tone of her father's voice, she could tell that he'd spent quite sometime in those corridors while she was busy testifying before Parliament. "The Romulans didn't do much to them, but they were in fairly good condition. I'm not sure how they were missed all this time by the Federation."

"Then since you're lucky enough to have people to delegate almost everything too, I expect you'll be spending a lot of time in those dusty Iconian corridors?" Marrissa was sure the answer was going to be affirmative. Back when the Captain had been just her mentor, she'd been given the opportunity to join the Captain on a visit to an archeology expedition. She'd spent most of it following him around, carrying his equipment case.

"Much as I would love to, I'm afraid that I don't have that many people to delegate to," Jean-Luc remarked ruefully. "I might be able to spend an afternoon, if I'm lucky, and can spin it as part of my duties."

"Spin it?" Marrissa had never heard those words out of her father's mouth before. She associated the term more with the 'loyal opposition' in Parliament than anything else.

"Yes, in a way, that's why I'm here early tonight," Jean-Luc replied. Marrissa pushed her paperwork away, recognizing the words as a signal for her undivided attention. "It has come to my attention that despite your recent involvement in testimony before Parliament, you are woefully lacking in ability to deal with politics. I certainly do not plan on letting you go before the press until this lack is satisfied."


End file.
